Dimasa Settlement in Dimapur and Chümoukedima

There has been a talk and reiteration of who is who in Dimapur and Chümoukedima districts very often due to inter-district boundary dispute. As a concerned citizen, I would like share a brief facts to the people and the Government in regard to the reference of the Dimasa Kachari settlement towards Dima (Dhansiri river). Prior to the arrival of Ahoms, the Dimasa Kachari settlement extended from Dikhow river to Kallang river and included the Dhansiri valley and the present day Dima Hasao district of Assam. However, there has never been a claim over the land despite the demographic changes occurred today. The present day Dimasa Kachari are the remnants of the Dimasa Kachari kingdom of Dimapur. As far as Dimasa Kachari villages on the Dima (Dhansiri) river valley is concerned, most of the villages are recorded to be known to the Government from the early 19th century of which Darogajan, Dhansiripar erstwhile Maibiram and Manglumukh villages were established as early as 1890, 1906 and 1907 respectively and others were established around 1920s and 30s. According to Nagaland Gazetteers 1970, authored by Dr. H. Bareh, the districts in 1878-89 had comprised of 18 Kachari hamlets with others (Page 39 of the Gazetteers has details of it). In Page 9 of the Gazetters, editor Dr. H. Bareh remarked that these Kachari villages have survived from olden days in Dimapur. The settlement of the Kacharis in Dimapur area had been corroborated by the tour map illustration of J. Hutton during 1923 in the book “Report on Naga Hills”. It is a fact that the Dimasa (Kacharis) maintain peaceful co-existence with all the neighbouring tribes from time immemorial and with the Zemes even in Dima Hasao, erstwhile N.C.Hills, in Assam, needless to mention that Dimasa even sing song in Zeme dialect during our Hangsho Busu festival even today, which is proof of our brotherly relationship. Only Zemes, Rengmas and Angamis were known to the Dimasas as Nagas from the olden days.

For the information of all, the Dimasa (Kachari) at no point of time accepted or acknowledged the traditional ownership of others over their land even in the past. In Dhansiripar Sub-division, Lt. Maibiram Jigdung established Dhansiripar village and he was a Mauzadar during the British rule. Dimasas believed in peaceful co-existence and desire to live as equals, not as unwanted and second class people. Our forefathers knew about Zemes and Angamis and they were taken as a single entity by the Dimasas from time immemorial. Later in the 1960s, the Dimasa Kacharis came into contact with some tribes of Nagaland and maintain neighbourly relationship even with them till date.

As for RIIN, Kacharis were part of JCPI who advocated implementation of RIIN, therefore there is no question of opposing the exercise. The Kacharis and other minority tribes had participated in many deliberations before the RIIN/ILP policy is formulated. The representation submitted by AIMTN is more of desiring for equality, not opposition to the policy which has been clarified by the AIMTN leaders in the press meet. Not only Kacharis, Kukis, Garos and Karbis are in other states; even other tribes are settled outside the state, then why enumeration only to the four tribes is our question. AIMTN desire to be treated equally in Nagaland not as somebody who are intruders and a threat to the locals here. Karbis (Mikir) have shrunk ever since the creation of Karbi Anglong autonomous district council, so are Kacharis and Garos for many reasons. When we go through the 1963 electoral roll of Dimapur, one gets to see the local voters of Dimapur were mostly from the minority tribes without whom Dimapur couldn’t have been declared a tribal belt. Can’t we acknowledge each other’s existence and live as equals even today?